Strong commitment. Bright future. That was the theme of the recent National Rural Health Conference and it says a lot about why I was delighted to launch the Croakey Conference Reporting Service at this event. Rather than hammer on about the negatives of rural and remote health, much about this conference illustrates the power of [...]

Last September, a group of Yolngu teenage girls from East Arnhem Land came to Sydney for a week of sporting and cultural events, as part of a program encouraging them to develop healthier aspirations. As part of the program, Kevin Bird, Healthy Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation, sought to use team sport as [...]

The availability of high-speed broadband in rural and remote areas will be a critical election issue if rural health advocates have their way. The 12th National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide made 17 priority recommendations for advancing the health of rural and remote communities, with equitable access to high-speed broadband at the top of the [...]

Are governments abrogating their public health responsibilities? This was the title of a presentation to the National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide this week, by David Templeman, CEO of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council. The article below is based on his presentation – and suggests the answer to the question is a resounding YES. [...]

The mining boom is putting some rural health services under great pressure, suggests a study from Central Queensland’s Bowen Basin. Sarah Constantine, leader of the health services development team at Health Workforce Queensland, presented the study’s findings at the National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide this week. They show “a need to rethink the process of [...]

By Kay Coppa The National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide today heard a fabulous good news story from Stewart Roper, of Nganampa Health Council in Alice Springs. He told about health and welfare achievements in a remote community in the APY Lands of northern South Australia. He showed some beautiful photographs that form part of a book, [...]

On-the-ground community engagement is central to efforts to reduce smoking rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, according to Dr Tom Calma, national coordinator of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking initiative. In his presentation to the 12th National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide yesterday, Dr Calma gave an overview of the program’s work, and rebuffed [...]

Indigenous health issues featured prominently at the 12th National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide yesterday. In the articles below, Marge Overs reports on the role of physician assistants in improving Aboriginal healthcare, and Kay Coppa, community and public health director at Miwatj Corporation Aboriginal Health in Nhulunbuy, reports on two presentations that she found particularly noteworthy. *** [...]

A key session at the National Rural Health Conference, starting in Adelaide on Sunday, will address the social and economic determinants of health, and initiatives to ensure rural and remote Australia receives its fair share of resources. In the preview below compiled by Marge Overs, who is reporting on the conference for Croakey, the session’s [...]